The Search for Good Tweezers: German, Swiss ... Italian?

A long time ago, I used cheap tweezers I bought from the drugstore - brands like La Cross and Trim. It was always a hit-or-miss, sometimes painful situation.

Then I went to a beauty supply store, and asked for their best tweezers. They suggested a pair of German straight-edged tweezers (called Solingen, I think) and they were so good. The tips were perfectly aligned so I wouldn't miss a hair. I used them for a few years, and then tragically, I lost them.

I tried to buy another pair, but I could not find them anywhere. So I went to another beauty supply store and asked them for their best tweezers, and ended up buying a pair of Ultra Aero Slant Tip Tweezer No.4860. The Ultra Aero is a bit thinner and lighter than I remember my Solingen tweezers to be. But they worked just as well. I've had the Ultra Aero for 8 years, and they still work great.

Recently, my mother-in-law asked to borrow my tweezers, and commented that they were the best tweezers that she had ever used. So I decided that I would buy her some. Unfortunately, I had no idea what my tweezers were called because the name isn't printed anywhere on the tweezer itself, and I've long since thrown out the packaging. All that is printed on the tweezers is "Stainless Steel, Pat. Pending, Made in Italy."

I wandered around a few beauty supply shops looking for them, but I just could not find them. So instead, I did a net search on good tweezers and found that Rubis Tweezers were well-reviewed. And I also liked the fact that they were made in Switzerland. So I bought a few, for my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, and another for my mom.

Everyone was grateful for the gift. Unfortunately, the Rubis Tweezers were no good. I once borrowed my mom's, and they just kept breaking off hairs. The Rubis tips are very precisely aligned, which is good, but the tips are sharp like a knife-edge and break the hair often, no matter how gently I try to pull it out. They definitely didn't work as well as my trusty Ultra Aero tweezers. A real bummer. And they cost like $30 each too.

Then I finally found my Ultra Aero tweezers in a beauty supply shop! They looked just like my tweezers at home, and now I knew what brand it was. I really wish I found these before, because they typically cost about $20, and I wouldn't have had to buy all those expensive Rubis tweezers, which in my experience, just do not work as well.

Anyway, I went ahead and bought one for my mom.

About the Ultra Aero Slant Tip Tweezer No.4860:

The Rubis tweezers and the Ultra Aero tweezers look almost exactly the same. If you lay them side-by-side, they are the identical size and shape. The only obvious difference is that the Ultra Aero tweezers have a slot on the handle. Another difference is that if you touch the tip of each tweezer, you would feel how much sharper the Rubis tweezers are - they really feel as sharp as a knife, which aside from the constant hair-breakage, also leaves your skin feeling more sore.

The Rubis tweezers come with a little rubber cap to protect the tweezers. The Ultra Aero comes with a sleeve. They also come in various colors, like pink, blue, and white. Mine are green, and I bought the pink one for my mom.

Having bought the Ultra Aero tweezers for my mom and tried them, I can be sure that they are the exact same tweezers as the ones I have been happily using for the last 8 years. The only difference is that my tweezers say "Pat. Pending" on the side, and the new one says "Patented."

Another hazard of cheaper tweezers is that the tips get dull and worn out after a while, and become even less effective. I'm not sure why that happens when it's all supposed to be stainless steel, but in my experience, that's what happens. I've used my Ultra Aero tweezers regularly for 8 years, and they are still as good as new, so I'm confident that they will last a very long time.

Conclusion:

The Ultra Aero tweezers are great. They just work very well, and grab and pull every hair effectively. I've had these for a long time, and they are as good as new. Very necessary item that was totally worth $20~ for me. And I'm happy that I finally know what brand they are.

Oh, and all the tweezer-switching I mention in my review (my mother-in-law borrowing mine, me borrowing my mom's, etc.) is sort of gross, I know. That's why it's useful to always clean off your tweezers with some rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad. This is generally a good thing to do so you don't have bits of hair and skin and oils on the tips of your tweezers which can make them less effective. Okay, I just grossed you out again. But it's still a good tip. (Pun!)